Before Sunrise
by JessarAnn22
Summary: Renesmee has reached maturity. When someone unexpected enters her life, taking her world by storm, old friendships and loyalties are tested,as Renesmee tries to figure out what and who is most important to her, creating her own destiny in the process.
1. Preface

**AN: I do not own Twilight or its characters, they all belong to the wonderful Stephenie Meyer. I don't have a beta so try to ignore any spelling or grammatical mistakes throughout the story, though I will try to limit them, because bad grammar is a pet peeve of mine as well. I know the summary isn't great, but I plan on making this story not your typical Renesmee story. I have some interesting ideas for where I want this story to go. But in order for me to continue I need reviews. I want to know what you all think, good, bad or ugly.**

_"Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie,  
Which we ascribe to Heaven."_

_-All's well that Ends well Act I Scene I_

I felt almost out of breath with the speed at which I was running. I didn't even know if it was a possibility for me to be fatigued, I had never felt it before, but then again I don't think I had ever run this fast before, and definitely never with a purpose this important. My legs felt almost as if they would break away from my body, but I had to keep going. I didn't care that I had promised, sworn to stay away from the fight. There was no way of escaping the fact that this was entirely my fault, and if anyone's life should be put on the line it should be mine and mine only.

I thought about all of the people in that clearing and how much they meant to me. Almost everyone I cared about was in that clearing, and I knew there would be losses. On both sides. The only problem was there were people I love on both sides. Each loss would be my loss. They were my family, my friends, my _best friend_, my _love_. All too important for me to lose.

As I got closer to that clearing I could see everyone lined up ready to fight, anticipating who would make the first move. I briefly noticed my father turn his head; I knew he could hear my thoughts before the others could smell me. He had a panicked look on his face, but there was nothing he could do to stop me. I had to be here. I had to try to stop this, and If I couldn't I had to stand with my family and fight. I tried to convince myself that I was strong enough to try to take down one of my friends if I had to. If it meant saving my family. But the truth was I didn't know if I was capable of it.

At that exact moment I saw them. A tall beautiful dark haired boy, and a russet colored majestic wolf facing each other, each ready to lunge. I knew it would be them, they would start the battle, and only one of them would come out alive. My two boys. They both looked deadly, and unafraid, and determined. It only re-enforced my knowledge that this was my doing.

"Renesmee, NO!" I heard my father call out. But it seemed like he was a million miles away because at that exact second my two boys charged on each other with all their might. My father must have known what I was thinking because at the sight of this my mind was made up. I knew I wasn't as strong as them, and my skin wasn't as strong as a regular vampire's, but my resolution was strong enough to do what I had to. I started this, I would finish it. I was so close to them and no one would be able to get there in time to stop me. I threw myself at them determined to break them apart even if it was my own death, the death of the girl they both loved, that did so.

**AN: Short I know, but this is just the preface. I tend to go overboard a lot so expect most chapters to be annoyingly long. Review, Review, Review. Please and thank you. **


	2. Chapter 1

**AN: Thanks so much for the reviews. They make me smile. This chapter is somewhat boring. It's all introductory, but I promise it will pick up. Any spelling/ grammatical mistakes are due to the fact that I wrote the majority of this chapter in philosophy class, and I was kind of falling asleep the whole time. BTW: My 'brilliant' idea of using all Shakespeare quotes at the beginning of each chapter is already starting to get on my nerves, so feel free to leave any good quote suggestions.**

* * *

_"By the pricking of my thumbs,  
Something wicked this way come"  
__-Macbeth, Act IV, Scene I_

I tried to sleep. Really I tried. I had been lying in my bed for what felt like days. But there was no way sleep was coming tonight. I was too nervous._ That_ thought alone scared me. I had never really felt _nervous_ before. Besides an incident with the Volturi when I was a few month old my life had been perfect. And even in that brief moment of darkness in my childhood, I wasn't _nervous. _I was terrified of losing my family and friends but I somehow knew everything would be alright.

I laughed, not being able to keep the hilarity of the situation in. That is so like me. Renesmee Carlie Cullen can face down the most menacing creatures in existence and put on a brave front, but the thought of going to _school _with some harmless humans kept me up at night.

_School_. I groaned at the thought. It was completely unnecessary. I was willing to put money down that I was better educated than the teachers at the high school I would be attending. But how can you help it when your mind matured at an unthinkable rate, and you lived in household of 'people' who had century's worth of knowledge in every subject imaginable. Not to be arrogant, but I could have probably graduated college by now and I was only ten years old. Technically. Because not only did my mind advance well beyond its years, but my body did as well. I grew at such a fast rate that by the time I was seven I looked like your average seventeen or eighteen year old, and I hadn't grown at all since. I suppose being one of the few half-vampire half human-hybrids in the world; I was destined to be a little strange.

Since the day that I stopped aging I had dreaded this day. The day I would have to leave the only home I had ever known behind and start living the charade that my family had been used to for decades before I was born. I grew up in Forks Washington, secluded from everyone. My family lived in the big white house that had been my grandparents for a few years before my birth. I spent my time that house and in the cottage my grandmother Esme had built for my parents for their wedding. We always had to stay away from any people, who might recognize my family, but we stayed in Forks to be close to my grandpa Charlie, and so I could have the closest thing to a normal childhood possible for me.

And I almost felt normal growing up. I was loved by so many people, and I had anything I could ever want. But over this summer, it was decided that we had stayed in one spot for far too long and we would be forced to move along, much to my protests. It was decided that we would move to Fairview Oregon. It was much like Forks in geography and weather. It was a small town, it was rainy and overcast, and there were plentiful forests filled with all sorts of wildlife, which was necessary to my family's diet. The best part for me was that it was not very far from Forks, so I could visit all my friends there at La Push, and my grandfather. And Jacob.

It was Jake that I missed the most. He was my best friend, and we did everything together for as far back as I could remember. When I was small I would ride on his back when he was in his wolf form or we would have races. It never bothered or scared me that he would change from himself into a big giant wolf. In fact I had always wanted a pet, and I suppose Jake was the closest I would get to that. I sighed as I turned over in bed, and silently wished Jake could be there with me for tomorrow. Not that my family wasn't doing their best to calm my nerves, but Jake would know exactly what to say to make me burst out laughing, and forget all my problems. It was always so easy to talk and confide in him, and he always knew how to make me feel better.

I might even be able to tell him the real reason I was so nervous to go to school. I tried my hardest to block this thought from my father, which wasn't easy when he could read my thoughts, which was very,_ very_ annoying at times. I had been successful so far, much to his annoyance. He always hated when anyone blocked him. Even though I knew they would all understand, I didn't want to give them any reason to question all the faith they had in me. The truth was I was worried about my control.

In all my life the only humans I had been around were my grandfather Charlie, and some of the elders at La Push. I had known these people my whole life, and I loved them and would never hurt them, _could_ never hurt them. But still I had only been exposed to humans in small increments, and to be in a school filled with people I didn't know and had no emotional connection to… I wasn't positive I could handle it. When I was younger I was given human blood from time to time when I was too small to hunt, or to comfort me when I was upset. I remembered all too well how delicious it was. I was terrified I would slip and my resolve would break, and I would blow my family's cover. Not only that I would disappoint my parents, my grandparents, aunts and uncles. I would be weak when they were so damn strong. This was my biggest fear about going to school. Finally admitting this to myself, I was able to slip into an uneasy, restless sleep.  


* * *

I woke up what felt like minutes later when I felt someone standing over me. My eyes automatically fluttered open, and standing before me was a black haired pixie with the most excited smile on her face. I groaned at the sight.

"Good morning sleepyhead! I thought you were going to sleep through your first day of school!" Alice exclaimed in an excited tone.

"Alice, I just got to sleep. What time is it anyway?" I asked the fatigue evidence in my voice. "It's 5:30 and school starts at 7:30, so that gives us two hours to get you ready." She replied, all too excited. I tried to pull the covers over my head. Well I didn't just get to sleep I guess, I only got two hours though. I normally was fully rested after four or five hours, since I didn't require as much sleep as a normal human would. When I felt Alice tug on my blankets I knew I would have to get up. She was trying to be patient; she could have very easily ripped them off with very little effort on her part.

I sighed as I swung my feet around my bed and placed them on the floor. "Now get in the shower, I'll have your outfit waiting when you get out, and then we can do your hair." I heard as I walked toward the bathroom. I knew from experience it was better to let Alice do what she wanted when she was in one of these moods, and I also knew that she was really excited for me, so I tried to humor her.

When I got out of the shower, I quickly brushed my teeth and threw my long bronze hair into a towel. When I saw the outfit Alice had sitting out for me on my bed I was thankful. It wasn't one of the more extravagant pieces she had picked out for my closet. It was a simple green strapless dress that went down to about my knees. Emerald green was Alice's favorite color on me; she said it went well with my hair color and skin tone. She paired the dress with strappy copper colored sandal flats. Overall I approved of what I would be forced to wear anyway.

Once I was changed Alice barged through my bedroom door, ready to do my hair. My hair was very long and naturally curly, so all she did was try to tame, and dry it. She pulled back the pieces in the front away from my face, and fastened them with hair clips. The whole process didn't take that long. Once she deemed that I didn't need any makeup which I was thankful for, she held led me to my full length mirror letting me examine her handiwork. She was beaming behind me, so I had to crack a smile too. "You're so beautiful, Nessie. I don't think it's fair to throw you in a school with all those poor human boys. They won't know what hit them. Especially with Edward there to hear all their inappropriate thoughts. I feel bad for my poor brother." She giggled.

I rolled my eyes and made my way downstairs where all my family was most likely lining up to see me ready for my first day of school. I momentarily felt like the child that I really was not. I thought about my parents and aunts and uncles and how this must be so tiresome for them. Another first day. They were all forced to go back to school with me too, in order to keep up the charade that we were all teenagers living with Dr. and Mrs. Carlisle Cullen our adoptive parents. The only comfort I had was that this was my mother's first time back to school since she was changed, so she was new to this while charade thing as well.

When I got down the huge staircase I saw various members of my family waiting there for me. Rosalie was sitting on Emmett's lap and they immediately looked up as they heard me come down the stairs. Jasper was reading a book that he put down to get a glance as well. Grandpa Carlisle was there too smiling at me proudly. I felt like I had three heads. Rosalie was there first when I was at the bottom step and had me enveloped in a big hug. "Look at my little baby niece, you have grown up into the most beautiful woman I could ever imagine." I hugged her back and smiled. I knew she was much more beautiful than I could ever be, but I knew if I said so, she would put up a fight.

As soon as she let me go I was lifted off the ground and in my big bear of an Uncle Emmett's hug. He mussed my hair which earned him a growl from Alice who had come down the stairs after me. "Listen squirt, remember I got your back in school, so if any boys come up to you and act like asses, you and I have some scheming to do tonight" he said through a big grin. I smiled. Emmett and I had always been quite a team when it came to pulling pranks. We had some that would go down in the history books. "But nothing too bad, can't risk having them bleed. Things can get dicey then." He added still joking around, but unknowingly hitting on my biggest fear.

I immediately was brought back to my fears from last night, and began to panic, when I felt a calming wave hit me. I looked over at Jasper who was smiling at me. I sent him a warm look and a smile that I knew he understood as my silent "Thank You", while he just bowed his head a little. He might ask me about my mini freak out later, but he usually didn't pry into my feelings, so I doubt it. He was always really good like that. He and I could communicate without speaking sometimes.

Carlisle was standing by the entry way to the kitchen, and when I approached him he reached out and placed his hand on my shoulder. He smiled and mussed my hair a little too. Your mother and grandmother are waiting for you in the kitchen he said as he motioned behind him. I groaned a little. That meant they had no doubt cooked me a big breakfast. Of human food.

I could survive on human food, but most of it tasted absolutely disgusting to me. I don't know why but my mother and grandmother always loved to cook for me, but I would begrudgingly eat it. Some was not even that bad. When I got to the kitchen, Grandma Esme was standing by the stove over what looked like pancakes. I was glad because pancakes were one of the few human foods that I could stomach without wanting to gag. Esme was over to me in a second echoing Rosalie and Emmett's behavior and giving me a big hug. "Don't worry, sweetie, you'll be great today." She said soothingly in my ear. "Thanks Grandma" I whispered back. I felt a little better. Esme was always good at making me feel better. "But I really don't need all of this food, I directed at my mother who was standing a few feet from Esme. " I hunted yesterday. I'm not hungry at all. In any way." I said. My mother put her arms around me in a gentle embrace different from all the rest. "I know sweetie, but I can't let you go to school on an empty stomach" she said as she smiled. My mom was ridiculously enthusiastic about me going to school saying that I could use some more human experiences, since I was born part vampire, and never had a chance at a normal human life like everyone else. I did my signature eye roll which earned a smile from my mom. She thought I looked just like my dad when I did that.

Which reminded me where was he? I totally forgot this morning to block my thoughts so he must have heard my little freak out before. The thought put a frown on my face. "Where's dad?" I voiced my question. My mom smiled again. "Oh, he'll be back soon, he just had to pick something up." She looked like she was trying to hide something from me, but sometimes with my parents it was better to not know, so I didn't push it.

When breakfast was ready, I ate a little bit, but the truth was I really wasn't that hungry. When I hunted it would satisfy both my thirst and my hunger, so luckily I didn't have to eat human food too often. I hunted a lot on the last trip, trying to overfill myself, to prevent the possibilities of any "accidents" at school. I automatically started to worry again. I just had such a strange feeling about this whole school situation. That was the perfect way to describe it. Strange. Because the idea didn't fill me with dread necessarily- besides my fear of losing control- just this odd feeling that clawed at the pit of my stomach. A feeling that let me know that something big was going to happen. This unknown feeling, turned to panic and dread at my inability to name it and mixed with my already existing anxiety that I wouldn't be able to control myself like a civilized vampire. The last thought made me smile a bit.

I was pulled from my thoughts when I heard a car pull down the long driveway. It had to be my dad so I ran to the window to make sure. Surely enough I saw his car in the distance. When it got closer I noticed a figure in the seat next to him. Confused I tried to make out who it could possibly be. When the figure was clear enough to make out I felt my whole face light up as I ran out the door.

"JAKE!" I yelled as I ran towards him. He opened the car door and smiled a huge grin at me. I threw myself into the arms of my best friend as I hugged him close. It had been almost a month since I saw him last. The longest I had ever gone without seeing him. When he pulled back I saw a look in his eyes that I had seen from time to time when he looked at me for the past few years now. That look always annoyed me because I could never place it, and I was always so good at reading Jake. It wasn't bad or angry or anything, it was just… different. A few seconds later the look was gone, and he was back to his old silly grin.

"I missed you so much Nessie. I was going crazy down at La Push with only those goons to hang out with." He said referring to all his friends at the reservations. I laughed knowing how goonish but loveable those boys could be. "How- Why are you here Jake, not that I'm not thrilled to see you or anything" I added quickly not wanting him to think I didn't want him here.

"Oh, I got a call from pops over here" he said jerking his thumb in my father's direction. "He thought maybe you could use a little cheering up, before your first day at school, he said you've been feeling kind of down about the whole thing- which I knew you, but you wouldn't admit to! He said in a mock annoyed tone. "So basically I'm here on a little vacation."

"But what about the pack Jake, you can't just up and leave them" I said, not wanting Jake to just drop all his obligations just to make me feel better about something silly like starting school. Jacob laughed "Oh with all you bloodsuckers gone, it's really kind of boring. Me Seth and Leah kind of just sit around looking at each other a lot, sometimes we have a real exciting patrol and we get to chase a raccoon or something." I rolled my eyes at Jacob's loving endearment for my family, but I never really took offense to it. He meant it in good fun.

The whole family had joined us outside by then, while Jake and I were briefly catching up. "Hey Bells," he called to my mother over my shoulder with a smile. She came over to us and gave Jake a brief hug. "Careful not to squeeze me to hard, bloodsucker, you already tried to kill me once." He joked and my mom playfully swatted him on the arm. I didn't know what he meant about the attempted murder, but I was glad things were normal between him and my mom. I knew enough about their back-story to know that Jake and my mom had been really close, and Jake had definite romantic feelings for my mom. I'm pretty sure my mom broke his heart when she chose my dad over him, but I'm glad they were able to be friends again.

"I hate to break up this touching moment, but we really have to leave to get to school on time, you can catch up with your dog later. I'm sure he can keep himself busy digging holes in the backyard or chasing his tail or something. "Rosalie interrupted. Jake smiled. "I missed you too blondie, so are we going to be bunking together while I'm here or what?" He asked oblivious to the stare Rose was giving him. I think deep down inside, even though they always act like this with each other Jacob and Rosalie really liked each other a lot more than they would ever admit.

"Rose is right though we really should get going I'm not going to have you be late on your first day!" Alice squealed. I sighed and turned to Jacob. "I guess I have to go, but you. me. Race. After school." I said. Jake smiled. "Of course. I've been practicing you know, and I'm pretty sure I can beat you this time. "In your dreams" I said under my breath as I walked towards my dad's car, since I wasn't allowed to drive myself to school. I was so happy to have Jake here with me. Maybe he could even help ease my mind about my strange feelings about the school situation. I promised myself I would talk to him after school was over. I was thankful my dad was perceptive enough to know that I really needed my best friend to talk to.

When I reached my dad I smiled and threw myself into his arms. "Thanks for doing this for me daddy. You don't know how much it means to have Jake here" He smiled and kissed my forehead. "Anything to make you feel better. I know you're anxious about starting school, but it will be okay I promise. Trust me you're stronger than you give yourself credit for love. " He whispered the last part so only I could hear it. I knew he must know about my insecurities, even though I tried my best to block them from him, but I couldn't help but be reassured by his words. I knew at that moment I was strong enough to resist the blood. I had to be. I felt like a weight was lifted from me.

But deep down that unknown feeling still remained. I still had no idea what it meant, and it was making it impossible for me to feel totally relaxed as I got in the back seat of the car. My dad went around to where my mother was standing and pulled her into a tight embrace as they just stared at each other. My parent's connection was an impossibly strong one. Just looking at them you could literally feel the love radiating from them, even without Jasper's gift. I could only hope that one day I would be lucky enough to feel that, though I really doubted it. It was such a rare thing.

As I turned away I noticed Alice standing by the car not moving. She had a look on her face that I recognized immediately. _She was getting a vision. _She didn't look excited or horrified which was a good thing, just _confused_. Her brows furrowed together as she looked towards my dad. My head followed her movements and was met by the same look on my father's face. He looked at Alice for a few moments and nodded, his face returning to normal. A few moments later he was in the car, and started it without a word. My mother was looking at him with as much curiosity as I must have been, and I made a note to ask him about it later. I couldn't now, because as we drove on in silence and got closer and closer to the school that strange feeling began to intensify, and grow. I didn't know what to expect once I got there. _What could this feeling possibly mean?_ This was definitely shaping up to be a very interesting day.

**AN: Next chapters will be more interesting I promise! I tried to do a lot of character and plot setup in this chapter, but there is still so much more to do. Unfortunately. Hehe. Please review, they make me happy. The faster I get reviews, the more motivated I will be to update quickly!**


	3. Chapter 2

**AN: So I wanted to get this chapter up a while ago, but I got distracted with playing Mario Party on Wii. It's really the best game ever invented. I have been writing really late at night lately because it's the only time my dorm room is ever quiet, so any spelling or grammatical mistakes are due to the fact that it's like four in the morning when I'm writing this. Oh and I'm super excited because I just saw a flyer today and my school is having a free showing of Twilight on Febuary 17****th****! Yay!! Okay enough with the rambling and onto the story…**

_"Some Cupid kills with arrows, some with traps."  
__-Much Ado about Nothing Act III, Scene I_

The moment I entered Fairview High School I knew it would be different than anything I was used to. There were hormonal teenagers literally running through the halls, and play fighting with their friends. The boys were rowdy and yelling profanities through the halls that almost made me blush. I was not used to this type of speech, even Emmett didn't dare speak like that in front of a lady. The whole scene kind of reminded me of something one might see at a zoo. Or a prison rioting.

From the second we pulled into the parking lot I had been holding my breath. Being part vampire I could hold my breath for a long time, but not infinitely like the rest of my family, so I knew eventually I would be forced to take a breath. I figured standing surrounded by my family was probably be the best place to do it, since they would be capable of holding me back. So I closed my eyes, exhaled the breath I had been holding, and took a deep breath in.

My nose was automatically assaulted by the sweet smell of human blood, which I was so unused to. I took another, deeper breath, and felt the back of my throat burn a little bit. I would be lying if I said the smell wasn't painfully appetizing, but I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't have to hold myself back as much as I thought I would. I had enough control, not to attack.

I smiled a little smugly and looked up at my dad who was standing next to me. He smiled back and leaned down to whisper in my ear. "See I told you, you would be fine. The smell will become less potent once you get desensitized to it as well." He reassured me. I told him through my thoughts that I thought I would be able to handle it just fine, as we walked towards the office.

I was a little disappointed however, because I had hoped that once I proved to myself I would be able to handle being around humans without wanting to murder them, I would instantly feel better. I had hoped that that foreign and nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach would go away, but it only grew stronger once we reached the school. I felt Jasper sending me relaxing waves, and felt minutely better. I wished I could have all my classes with him, so he could send me his currents of calm all day, but that wasn't likely as he was posing as a junior while I was posing as a sophomore. They wanted me to start as a freshman, but I had put my foot down saying that I looked too old to pass for fourteen, when really I just wanted as little time as possible of this torture, and three years was better than four.

The story my family had been using for years had to be edited and amended a little now that the clan had grown. Carlisle and Esme were posing as the adoptive parents of Alice, my dad and I. Me and my dad were posing as twins, as we looked too much alike for the relation to go unnoticed. Jasper and Rosalie using the last name Hale were posing as twins as well. They were Esme's niece and nephew who were taken in after their mothers' death. Lastly my mother and Emmett used my mother's maiden name Swan, and were supposedly foster children who Carlisle and Esme recently took in. I honestly didn't see how no one questioned the fact that Carlisle and Esme who looked to be no older than their mid to late twenties took in so many stray children, but my family had a way of getting people to go along with their little fabrications.

When we reached the office the middle aged women at the front desk stared at us with her mouth hanging open. Literally. She shook her awed expression -at the perfect inhumane beauty of my family members- away embarrassed by her gaping

"Good morning. How my I help you?" she asked timidly to my father who was standing in front holding my mother's hand. He looked a little disgusted at the woman's thoughts, and I could only imaging what disturbing thoughts she was thinking about my father and uncles.

"Yes. We are new students here and we were told to report to the office for our schedules, and any additional information we might need." My father responded politely. The woman's face lit up in recognition. She must have heard all about the seven adoptive children of the new town doctor who would be starting at Fairview High. I had a feeling gossip spread like wildfire in a small town like this.

"You must be Dr. Cullen's children" she said her excitement indicating that she had been waiting for the new items of gossip to arrive. "I had the pleasure to meet him, at a function for the hospital; he's such a nice man." She continued. "I'm sure you'll all love it here at Fairview High, everyone will be very welcoming I'm sure. Let me pull your schedules". She seemed like a kind, but talkative woman. She printed each of our schedules and handed them to us.

I sighed a little as I looked over my classes. I was pretty sure I was not going to have trouble with any of them. "Hey look Nessie I have English, and Gym with you!" Alice exclaimed excitedly. In fact it turned out I had classes with all my family. I had English with Alice, calculus with my mom and dad, art with Jasper and Rosalie, American history with my mom and dad again, Spanish with Emmett, Jasper and my dad, gym with Alice and Emmett and we all had lunch together. The only class I didn't have with anyone in my family was Chemistry.

The woman at the front desk, Mrs. Cosgrove as her name plate said, distributed a packet filled with consent forms that needed to be signed, and other information about the school, along with a map of the rather small two story building to help us locate our classes. Once we were out of the classroom Alice began to pull me away to our first class which was English when I felt a pair of arms wrap around my middle.

"Oh baby, I know you'll do so well today! Don't be nervous, I'm sure everyone will be nice to you. Oh you're growing up so fast! I am so proud of you." My mother rattled off as she held me in a tight embrace. In a moment of motherly nostalgia and lamentation she had forgotten that we were standing in the middle of the hallway and in plain sight of all the teenagers who would most likely be confused as to why someone would be hugging their somewhat-sister like the proud mother she really was.

"Well thanks for the reassurance _Bella"_ I said, reminding her of where she was. "Right I probably shouldn't do that here" she said finally realizing where she was. My father laughed and came to stand next to us. He put his hand on my shoulder and gave me a reassuring smile, as if saying _everything will be alright_. "Come on Bella we should get to class" He said grabbing my mother's hand and leading her off before she had a chance to say anything else. The rest of my family dispersed and went to their respective classrooms, while Alice practically dragged me to our English room.

When we entered the room I noticed the whole classroom go silent. The teacher wasn't there yet, and I assumed only moments before everyone had been talking, and joking around. _Probably about the freaky new arrivals _I thought. Alice smiled at me and led me to the back of the classroom where we found seats. Eventually the teenagers began their conversation again and Alice started talking about some trip she wanted to take to Paris for fashion week, but I wasn't paying attention. I was too busy with the fact that I was actually sitting in a real high school classroom. I was actually somewhat excited about it which surprised me. I had dreaded this moment like it was the apocalypse, but now being here in the moment almost made me reconsider the while high school thing as a potentially good human experience. Almost. Because in the back of my mind I knew something strange was still brewing, and that there was still that unknown emotion lurking in my head and gut. Which reminded me about Alice's vision.

"Hey Alice" I said in my most innocent voice interrupting her monologue about how 'Chanel was so much more classy that the overrated Armani'. "I saw you before, when we were leaving, and I noticed you had a vision." I prompted in a voice low enough to not be heard by those around me, hoping she would go on from there. She waited a few seconds before she said anything. She looked like she was contemplating what to say.

"Oh yeah" she started "It was nothing, just strange, Not really concrete. I didn't know what to make of it." She said as she shrugged her shoulders. I was about to pry some more, wondering if this vision could somehow be related to my strange mood, but the teacher walked in. Alice was wearing a look that rang 'saved by the bell'. The teacher was a middle aged balding man named Mr. Greene. Once he started class he looked directly to the back of the room where Alice and I were sitting.

"Class, we have two students who are new to Fairview High this year joining us. Miss. Alice Cullen and Miss…" he hesitated on my name. "Ra-neez-me Cullen" he mispronounced, "It's Ruh-nez-may. I know it's kind of a hard name." I corrected in a polite tone, not wanting to come across as arrogant or anything. The teacher smiled at me. Well Renesmee why don't you come up here and tell the class a little about yourself. I froze. There was nothing about myself that I could really tell the class. _"Oh hi. My name is Renesmee I'm really ten years old, but I look seventeen. That's 'because I'm half vampire. Don't worry though I only drink animal blood, so I pose no risk to you guys! I grew up with my family of vampires, and spent time with my friends on our local Indian reservation, where it just so happens the residents happen to shift into giant wolves from time to time. Oh, also I can make people see my thoughts when I touch them. Pretty cool right? You know I basically am your normal high school student." _Yeah, I doubted that would go over well.

Instead I just lied through my teeth. I got up to the front of the class room, thankful that I could think on my feet. "Hello. I'm Renesmee. I'm sixteen years old, and I recently moved here from Washington State. My twin brother and I have lived with my adoptive parents since my birth parent died when we were very young. Alice is my adopted sister as well, and I live with four other foster children. We're all very close; basically they are all my best friends." I finished thankful that I remembered the whole story. I hurried back to my seat avoiding the stares I was getting from my curious classmates.

The teacher made Alice go up next, and she recounted a similar story to mine, only with some embellishments here and there. Alice had a flare for the dramatic. During Alice's little speech I felt a nudge from next to me. I turned and everyone was looking at the girl who was brave enough to talk to one of the new kids. She smiled at me and seemed genuinely nice.

"Hi I'm Jenna" She said. She had shoulder length straight blonde hair, and big blue eyes filled with curiosity.

"Renesmee" I said knowing that she already knew my name. I returned her smile though I was somewhat suspicious of her intentions.

"You have such a pretty name. Unusual, but unique. I like it" she said in a peppy tone. She seemed like one of the girls from a movie that was always the preppy, loud cheerleader, but she seemed nice enough to me.

"Yeah it's a family name. Kind of a mouthful." I responded quietly. She continued talking to me quietly for a few minutes before she asked to see my schedule. She determined we had chemistry together, which she seemed excited about. She probably wanted to make friends with the new girl to get some information about my mysterious family. When the bell rang signaling that class was over Jenna got up and gave me a spirited wave goodbye telling me she would see me in chemistry.

"Aw looks like you made your first human friend." Alice said in tone that a mother might use when her child comes back from their first day of kindergarten. "I guess so, does that exchange mean we're friends?" I asked, truly ignorant to the working of human teenagers' minds. Alice laughed her high trill. "Oh Nessie, you really do need some more contact with humans."

The rest of the day played out pretty much the same. Some of the teachers asked me to introduce myself to the class, others didn't. Every single one mispronounced my name. I started to recognize the faces of some of the students that were in multiple classes with me. Some of them even worked up the courage to introduce themselves. But I was glad to have my family in my classes with me. It was nice not to be all alone in this new environment.

By the time lunch came around I was ready to go home. I was actually tired which was unusual for me. At least I knew I would sleep well tonight. I was standing in line next to Alice getting food that I knew neither I nor anyone else at my table would eat. I already had enough human food for one day this morning. I noticed Jenna waving at me from her table where a few other people who had introduced themselves to me earlier also sat. I smiled and waved back, but looked away quickly when I noticed the boy she was sitting next to, David I think his name was, who had been overly friendly in a rather transparent way, even for socially inept me.

When I sat down at the table my family had taken in the corner I noticed all six pairs of eyes on me. All obviously curious as to how my first day had gone. I filled them all in to my rather boring day, leaving out the part about the hormonal teenage boy for his own good. They all seemed authentically interested in my day, despite the monotony of it. After a round of questioning everyone else went on to tell about their own days back at school after the ten year absence. I was listening to Rose's story about how she scared the living hell out of a boy who had been unscrupulously checking out her bottom half when I saw him.

I had a strange feeling that I was being watched which made me naturally uncomfortable. Sure people would stare at us, I was used to that now from this morning's classes, but I wasn't used to being watched. People naturally had the inclination to look away after a while, which was probably a self preservation technique. I scanned the room trying to get an idea of who exactly was looking at me, when my eyes met a pair of the most intense brown eyes I had ever seen. I was always told that my brown eyes were piercing, but these were on a whole different level. I felt like he was looking straight through me. I had the momentary irrational fear that he knew our secret, but I knew there was no way he possibly could.

He wasn't looking away though, and for some reason I wasn't either. I didn't know why, but it felt like I couldn't, like something was pulling me towards him. It was then I noticed the rest of his face. _My God he is beautiful_. I thought. I had never really been attracted to a boy in that way before, besides actors I saw on television, and thought were attractive. This boy was different. He was somewhat scruffy with longish dark brown hair that looked un-brushed, and unruly. He had a little bit of stubble around his face, as if he hadn't shaved in a few days, but it was still impossible to ignore his natural good looks. It was in this moment that I felt the feeling that had been brewing in the back of my mind come to the forefront. Could it somehow have to do with this stunning boy?

"Nessie?" I was pulled from my thoughts and my gawk when I heard my father call my name apprehensively. _I was so stupid_. I had momentarily forgotten where I was and who I was with. I hastily looked away from the mystery boy, and down at my untouched food. "Yes?" I asked sounding somewhat ashamed. I knew my father had just heard every thought that went through my head. It was one of the many times having a mind reader as a father worked to my disadvantage. "Are you okay?" he asked in a strange tone. "Yeah I'm fine" I replied still not looking up at him. I felt his gaze linger on me, probably confused, and somewhat disturbed by what he was hearing. When I noticed him snap his head in the direction of the boy I looked up.

My dad was looking at the boy suspiciously with a confused look on his face. I was trying my best not to look in mystery boy's direction again, afraid I wouldn't be able to look away again. After a few moments my father looked back at the table and rejoined the conversation. Every one sitting around us looked confused. The whole situation didn't go unnoticed by them, but thankfully no one brought it up. I was too busy thinking about this boy, and simultaneously trying to block my thoughts form my father to rejoin the conversation. There was something…different about him, something that drew me to him. It was so odd, I didn't know this boy at all, and yet I felt like I should. I was glad when the bell rang signaling the end of lunch, gratified that my next class was the one alone so I could further ponder the matter in peace. I practically ran away from the table with only a quick 'bye' when I was stopped by- according to Alice- my new 'friend' Jenna.

"Hey, Renesmee. You have chem With Bryant next right?"

"Yeah. I think so" I replied mindlessly, my thoughts were somewhere else entirely.

"Well me too, let's walk together." I followed her out of the cafeteria when I felt the strange need to turn around. There was the same boy again. He was standing up next to the table he had been sitting at. I noticed he was quite tall, at least 6 foot though I estimated he was a bit taller. He was not as muscular as Jake or any of the other boys at La Push, but he wasn't skinny either, just lean. He was wearing dark faded jeans and a grey t-shirt with a leather jacket over it. He looked…_perfect_. My mind automatically filled in the blank. I felt like a stupid love sick teenager, which I really wasn't, so I turned back to Jenna.

"Are you checking him out?" she asked in an incredulous tone, almost as if she was trying to hide a laugh. I tried to hide a blush. "No I just noticed him looking at me before." I said embarrassment obvious in my voice. Jenna laughed. "Well he was definitely checking_ you_ out just now" she laughed out loud again. I knew she saw my blush this time. "Who is he?" I asked. She leaned in close as if she were about to tell me some big secret. "His name is Liam Quinn" she started as if she had told this particular story a million times. "He's really weird."

I tried not to roll my eyes. I was pretty much the definition of weird, so nothing this human boy did could really shock me. "I mean don't get me wrong, he is _really_ good looking, but he's not the type of boy you want to be checking you out." She finished her tone becoming more serious. I was about to asked why, but decided against it. For some reason I felt offended at the idea of hearing her gossip fuelled opinion of him, it was almost as if I felt the need to defend him. So I decided to drop the topic altogether.

"So you didn't mention that your…brothers were so…attractive" she said in a suggestive tone. I cringed. This conversation was headed in a direction I was not particularly comfortable with, so I just shrugged my shoulders, hoping she would drop it. She didn't.

"Is it true that they are all together with the girls in the house?" she asked in a shocked tone. "I mean I know they're not all related or anything like that." She added not to offend me.

"Yeah, they're all sort of paired up" I responded. "Emmett and Rosalie, Jasper and Alice, and Edward and Bella." I responded trying to make it clear with my tone I really didn't want to talk about this subject any further.

"Isn't that weird for you? You know to be the only one without a…mate?" I laughed at the irony in her choice of words. "No I'm used to it." I responded honestly, because there comes a point when you're surrounded by so much love and adoration constantly that you become desensitized to it. Jenna still didn't feel the need to drop it though.

"It is a shame though that they are all taken. They are so hot. Especially your twin. Wow. Gorgeous." She exclaimed. I cringed again. This was definitely not a conversation I wanted to be having. I just ignored her comment and luckily we had reached the chemistry room, so she didn't have a chance to say anything else.

We got in the door just as the bell rang and nearly everyone had taken their seats. The teacher asked me my name and then directed me to an empty table. Everyone else had a lab partner, but I was perfectly content without one. I didn't really need the help. I was filling out a handout the teacher had passed out requesting contact information when I heard the door open and the teacher welcome a late comer and direct him to take a seat. I knew I must have a partner after all, as all the other tables were full. I looked up and saw _him-_ the same boy from the cafeteria- walking towards my table. I tensed minutely and whipped my head back down to the paper.

I heard the chair next to me move and the thump of books being placed on the table. I noticed how good he smelt. Like a mix of springtime air, and something sweet, but I had no desire to attack him, and my throat didn't even burn that much at the smell even though the blood was unmistakably human. It was like I craved the smell to be closer. I tried to fight it but I couldn't help but look over at the boy sitting next to me. To my surprise he was looking at me as well. I couldn't help but give him a small smile. He smiled a tiny, breathtaking, quick smile back. We just looked at each other for what felt like hours, before I broke the gaze and spoke.

"Hi. It's nice to meet you I'm Renesmee." I said, surprisingly without a hint of nervousness. He smiled again and I melted. "That's an interesting name" he said in the most breathtakingly…_sexy_ voice I could imagine. I almost laughed out loud at my use of the word sexy. That was a new one. "Yeah. Well you can call me Nessie. That's usually what I go by anyway." I responded shocked at the fact that I had just told this stranger the name only my family and friends used for me.

He looked amused at the nickname. "I'm Liam" he said. His gaze lingered on me for a few more seconds. I didn't know what to say, so I smiled and looked back down at my notebook and wrote down some of what the teacher was saying. He turned his head too, and looked out the window. During the whole class I tried my hardest not to look at him directly, but I was very aware of his presence next to me, and for the whole hour I kept sneaking glances of him from the corner of my eye. He did not look at me again. I was so much in my own little world that I jumped a little when the bell rang signaling the end of the day.

"I guess I'll see you around Nessie." He said with a small smile as he got up and left the classroom quickly and quietly. I didn't respond. I just sat there for a few moments. There was something so different about this boy. Something I couldn't explain or even put my finger on myself. It was like I _knew_ him. I know for a fact that I had never met him before, but it felt almost as if I was meant to know him, that a part of me already did know him. I wanted to find out more about him, all I had was a face, and a name._ Liam_.

I felt a hand reach out and grab my arm. When I turned to see who it was I was met with Jenna's wide eyed smile. "You were totally having a conversation with Liam Quinn!" she exclaimed. "He doesn't like talk to _anyone_." She was laughing. "I guess the pretty new girl is too much for even him to pass up" she added in a low voice that was tinged with what sounded like a teeny bit of resentment. "I would stay away from him though. He's bad news. He's been like arrested and stuff." Jenna seemed like she was about to get deeper in the story, but again I felt like I couldn't hear his story from someone who was going to scandalize it like Jenna no doubt would.

"I have to go Jenna. I'm keeping my family waiting. I'll see you tomorrow." I said trying sound friendly, but I felt an irrational anger towards this girl for her obvious eagerness to gossip about this boy who I had the strangest urge to defend. I didn't give Jenna a chance to reply before I exited the chemistry room. I nearly walked into the figure that as standing there waiting.

"I think you and I should have a talk when we get home." My father said looking down at me with a strange expression on his face. He didn't seem angry or upset, just confused. I was mortified with the idea of having to have this conversation with my father, but I knew he would keep it between us, and not make it a whole family thing. I couldn't even imagine how bad Emmett would tease me if he knew my feelings for this stranger.

"Alright, but we really should go now. School ended like ten minutes ago, I'm sure everyone is waiting." I said trying to change the subject. He looked at me suspiciously, but led the way to the parking lot. When we were outside I let myself fall behind a little, not eager to get home and have an embarrassing conversation with my dad. When I was about ten meters from the car I felt the same feeling I had in the cafeteria and in the chemistry room today. I knew he was looking at me.

I turned my head to the left and saw Liam standing by a black car. He was looking at me and smiling that same dazzling smile from before. I couldn't help but smile back, it was too irresistible. He lifted his hand in a casual wave, and I noticed him mouth "see you tomorrow" it looked as if it was a question, so I shook my head yes. He smiled again and got in the driver's seat of the car. As I got to my dad's car and sat in the back seat all I could think about was Liam Quinn's eyes, and I knew I was in trouble.

**AN: This chapter felt like it took forever to write and edit. I know there are a lot of parallels between Bella and Edwards's first meeting, and the one between Nessie and Liam in this story, but I couldn't help it. What does or doesn't happen between them is going to be quiet different than Bella and Edwards' relationship/ progress in the books though. And yes Liam is human, definitely not a vampire or any other mythical creature, so that's not the reason he seems "different" to Renesmee. Please, Please Please review. Thanks!**


	4. Chapter 3

**AN: As always Twilight and it characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, not me.**

"_Captain of our fairy band  
Helena is here at hand,  
And the youth, mistook by me,  
Pleading for a lover's fee.  
Shall we their fond pageant see?  
Lord, what fools these mortals be!"  
- A Midsummer Night's Dream Act II, Scene II_

The first thing I noticed when we pulled up to our house was that Jacob was standing outside waiting for me. _Jacob_. Somehow with all of the drama of the day, I had forgotten that Jake, my_ best friend_ had come, just to cheer me up. I felt like a bad friend. He was smiling his huge grin at me when I got out of the car. I smiled half heartedly back. "So, how was it?" asked Jake excitedly.

"Oh, it was fine. Not as bad as I expected honestly." I couldn't help it, when I said the last comment, Liam's face flashed before my eyes.

"So are you ready for that race, you think you can win?" Jake asked. I turned to my father who looked rather impatient to get our conversation over with, so I sighed and turned back to Jake.

"I kind of have to talk to my dad about something first, but I promise to beat you after." I said as I playfully elbowed him in the stomach. He laughed and ruffled my hair. "Alright we'll see." He responded as we walked in the house.

"Renesmee, I'll meet you upstairs in a minute." My father said in a serious tone once we were in the door. I noticed my mother eyeing him suspiciously. I knew it bothered her immensely to fell 'out of the loop', but surprisingly, she didn't ask what was going on. I rolled my eyes and waved goodbye to Jake, who went into the living room to join Emmett in some video game. When I got to my room I plopped down in the middle of my bed and sighed. I really wish I knew what was going on in my own head. I had no idea what to make of these feelings I had for this stranger. I heard a knock on my door, and sat up. "Come in." I said quietly though I knew he heard me. My father opened the door, threw me a tentative smile, and sat down in my desk chair facing me. We both just sat there for a few minutes, neither of us knowing what to say. My father was the first to break the silence.

"Renesmee, you know I don't like intruding on your privacy, but also understand that I'm your father and it is my job to keep you safe. I heard what you were thinking today about that boy today, and I really think it would be better if you stay away from him."

For some reason, his statement made me angry. "Why? _You_ wanted me to go to high school, not me. _You_ wanted me to have 'human experiences', not me. Now I'm not _allowed_ to have friends. Why can't you make up your mind?" I was shocked at the hostility in my voice. I had rarely if ever shown this type of annoyance towards either of my parents before, and now the thought of being told to stay away from a boy I didn't even know was causing me real anger? I think this whole high school thing was messing with my emotions.

From the look on my father's face he was taken aback by my little outburst as well. "Nessie, are you going to tell me, you don't have more than friendly feelings for this boy? I heard his thoughts too. It's not safe, or fair to either of you for you to get that close to a human,"

I looked at him and my eyes widened. I couldn't hold back my sarcastic laugh. "_You're_ telling _me_ not to fall for a human?" I asked incredulously. "Isn't that a little hypocritical? My father looked at me for a few seconds before answering.

"I have never, for one moment regretted falling in love with your mother, and I know she has never regretted it either, but that doesn't mean it wasn't wrong. I was completely selfish to allow myself to love her. Think about it sweetheart, there are so many dangers associated with being a human in our world. You know all too well about the Volturi, and even the best of us can lose control, it's our nature."

I sighed; I couldn't really refute this point. It _was_ dangerous for a human to be in our world. All of the sudden I remembered the catalyst of this conversation. It was my 'feelings' for Liam. "Why are we even having this conversation dad, I just met this boy, and we barely said two words to each other. We're not involved in any sort of relationship or anything." I didn't understand my father's concern, for all I knew this could be some sort of teenage crush. I had never had one before, so maybe this is what it felt like. For some reason I secretly doubted that though.

My father looked down at his hands. "You never know what could happen; I just wanted to talk to you before you became too attached." He responded. He seemed like he knew something I didn't. Then it hit me. _Alice's vision_.

"Alice. She saw me and Liam together, didn't she?" I blurted out, stunned at my own revelation. My father looked up and met my eyes.

"She did see the two of you getting closer." He responded. "I just want you to be careful Nessie. I don't want to see you get hurt."

"I know that you are just looking out for me, and I appreciate it dad. I also know that it would be impossible for me to be with a human like that. I don't intend on being in any kind of romantic relationship with anyone right now, I just don't understand the feelings I have for him." I responded honestly.

"You are a very smart girl, I'm sure everything will make sense in time." He said as he got up and pulled me in a tight hug. "But remember you're still my little girl, and I wasn't quite ready for you to have feelings for a boy so soon. I was hoping for at least a hundred years, before any of this happened." I laughed and pushed him away playfully. He walked towards the door, and turned around just before he exited. "Jake is waiting pretty impatiently for you to come down." He added. Jake and my dad were able to form a tentative friendship in the years since I was born. They weren't best friends by any means, but they were defiantly no longer enemies, now that Jake wasn't trying to steal away my mother anymore.

"Does Jake ever do anything patiently?" I answered back. My father smiled and shook his head. "Don't stay out too long." He said as I ran down the stairs. I really needed to get out to think and the forest was the perfect place to do it. It was so peaceful, away from everything. When I got down the stairs I noticed the front door was open, and Jake had already phased into wolf form, with his clothes tied to his hind leg, waiting for me. _So impatient. _

"Alright Jake, first one to the river wins, _and I promise not to cheat_" I added knowing he would insist on that stipulation. Jake considered my enhanced jumping abilities cheating. Jake shook his head once and his big wolf eyes focused ahead of him. "On your mark, get set, Go!" I said and we were both off. Running was one of my favorite abilities, there was an indescribable and unbelievable feeling you get running at such speeds, with the wind whooshing past you. I could always focus perfectly and think clearly while running.

My thoughts automatically turned to the conversation I had just had with my father. What did Alice's vision mean? Were Liam and I going to be together like that? The thought should have been ridiculous to me, since we had just met about two hours before, but for some reason it didn't. It felt… natural. I noticed Jake gaining on me form the corner of my eye, and picked up the pace. The lake was in view now. I surged ahead and beat him there by a few seconds.

"HA! I told you I could beat you!" I gloated. Jake had yet to beat me in a race. When I was small he would let me win, but for years he had given up letting me win, and really ran. I was always a little bit faster. Jake's eyes got even bigger, and he growled a little. Not a menacing growl, but a playful one. I just stuck out my tongue at him. He ran over to me and bumped his head into my leg. I laughed at his annoyance at being beat, and patted his soft head. Jake then trotted off into the woods far enough so I couldn't see him to phase back. I sat down at a large boulder and stared at the sparkling river.

A few minutes later I saw Jake emerging from the trees with a frustrated look on his face. "Alright, I give up; I guess I will never beat you." He said sounding defeated as he reached the rock I was sitting on. He took a seat next to me. "Whats wrong Ness? He asked as he examined my face. He was as good at reading me as I was him.

"Nothing, I'm Just tired I had a long day." I responded. I contemplated telling him the whole thing. Telling him about Liam, and how I felt around him, how different he was, and how I _wanted_ to get t o know him, maybe even as more than friends, as Alice had seen. How the thought of being with him seemed natural, even though we hadn't even had a full conversation yet. But there was something in the back of my mind that told me not to tell Jake about all this. I followed that instinct, even though I always told Jake everything.

"Oh" was all he said. I think he knew something was wrong, but he let it go. I noticed him looking at me intensely with that same look in his eyes as this morning. My inability to name this look frustrated me to no end, so I always hated it when he wore it. "So how is everything going back home?" I asked desperately trying to change the subject. This topic of conversation was unnecessary since I talked to Jake all the time on the phone, and was up to date on pretty much everything.

"Pretty good. Sam and I have been having meetings with the elders about officially reforming the pack. We just have to figure out the whole alpha thing." Jake responded with a bit of fatigue in his voice. I knew the issue of alphas and packs gave Jake a headache. Jake had split from his original pack under the leadership of Sam Uley sometime right before my birth, and formed his own pack with Leah, and Seth Clearwater. In the years since the relationship between Sam's pack and Jake's had healed immensely, they even ran patrols together from time to time. The elders at La Push wanted nothing more than the packs to be rejoined, to be one unit again. The only problem that stood in the way was the issue of who would be the leader of the pack. Sam and Jake were both very much alpha's. They both had that leadership quality that made them perfect for the job, and it seemed impossible that either of them should give up the role. That was the only thing standing in the way of complete reconciliation. Well that and Leah.

Leah was Jake's second in command, and absolutely did not want to rejoin Sam's pack. I honestly couldn't blame her. Sam had once been involved with Leah, but ended up marrying Leah's cousin Emily. Despite how perfect Sam and Emily were together, and how much they loved each other, I couldn't help but feel bad for Leah, having to sit back and watch the whole thing. Despite my sympathy for Leah, we weren't the best of friends by any means. Leah didn't like me at all. I always tried to be friendly and warm towards her, but she just resented me more when I did that. I just tried to equate her hatred for me to a general aversion to all things vampire, but everyone else at La Push had managed, or at least tried to put their prejudice aside when it came to my family.

I noticed Jake smile slightly and I looked at him. "Seth imprinted." He said his smile growing larger. My eyes grew wide, and I broke into a smile large enough to match Jakes. "That's great Jake, I'm so happy for Seth. I have to call him." I responded. It was impossible not to love Seth. He was so sweet, and genuinely kind and he deserved to find true love. I knew a little bit about imprinting. I knew it was a way of finding a soul mate for werewolves, and that it brought a strong, unconditional love with it. For some reason though whenever I brought up the topic with Jake he never wanted to talk about it. "Who is she?" I asked.

"Her name is Sophie. She moved to La Push a few weeks ago. She's a really sweet girl." Jake laughed. "You should see Seth walk around all smug, I give it about a week before Leah seriously decks him, and knocks some sense into him." I laughed at the visual. We sat in silence for a few minutes gazing at the river before I turned back to Jake.

"Do you think you'll ever imprint Jake?" I asked him. His face immediately went blank. I thought for a second, _maybe he already had_. I had never straight out asked him if he had imprinted before. The thought made me somewhat… jealous. I knew it was selfish of me to feel this way, I should want the kind of happiness Emily and Sam had for my best friend, but I knew if he did imprint on someone, it would take him away from me. He wouldn't be my best friend anymore; not really, he would be someone else's imprint. Jake regained his composure and turned back to me.

"I think there is someone out there who is perfect for me; someone who will love me unconditionally, and who I will love the same way forever." He replied without looking at me. When he put it that way I could no longer be jealous, because that's what everyone wanted, and if and when that happened for Jake I would be happy for him. Jake was staring ahead looking deep in thought. He looked so lost. I put my arms as far as they would reach around his huge shoulders, and rested my head on them.

"Enough of this sappy talk, I can hear your stomach growling, I bet Esme is cooking you a huge dinner." I said trying to cheer him up, from his pensive mood. "Well when you put it that way lets go." He said picking me up over his shoulder returning to his goofy self. I started playfully kicking my legs, struggling to get free. "Put me down you big mutt." I said as I tried pushing against his shoulders. "What's wrong Ness, your bloodsucker strength not enough?" he laughed. I growled at the nickname. He knew it annoyed me when he called us that, and I pushed away from him with all my strength. When I was free I stood back in a crouch and sprang, tackling him to the floor. We hit the forest floor with a thud; me on top of him. I grabbed him giant wrist and pinned them above his head. "Gotcha" I said.

He laughed, and that look momentarily returned. "Only because I let you" he retorted. I snorted very un-ladylike and stood up. "You wish" I said offering him my hand. He grabbed it and stood up, and we made our way back home.

I was right about Esme preparing a large dinner. It was a mini feast, and only Jake ate. There was no way I was eating human food again today, so Jake ate enough for all of us. I _was_ really tired, so after playing piano for a while, and playing Jake in some stupid video game, that to his embarrassment I won, I went to get ready for bed.

My room was much like my room in the main house back in Forks. The walls were painted a light blue, which went well with the light tan carpet. I had paintings and pictures on the walls, among them an original Monet painting that I had gotten for my last birthday from my grandpa Carlisle and Grandma Esme. In the middle of the room was a huge wrought iron four post bed surrounded by an antique dresser, and desk, and a vanity that once belonged to a princess of some European country. Esme was a huge fan of antiques. I also had two bookcases full of books that I had read multiple times each. I had inherited my mother's love for reading. On the opposite wall I had an intricate stereo system that I barely knew how to work, and hundreds of CD's next to it. I had also inherited my father's love for music. My room was perfect for me; it had always been the one place besides the forest where I could really do my thinking.

So inevitably my mind began to wonder as I closed my eyes. So many things were running through my head from today. School, and Jake, and imprints, and phantom feelings, and Liam's eyes, and fear, and Alice's vision; these were my last thoughts before I drifted to sleep. But as soon as I fell asleep I was in the middle of one of the most realistic dreams I had ever had.

I was standing in the middle of the forest back in Forks, and I was with Liam. We were holding hands, and he was smiling at me. I felt the strongest feeling in the pit of my stomach of utter love and devotion. I was happy. Then I heard a howl. I turned my head and saw Jake in wolf form. He looked at me and Liam and ran the most heartbreaking whimper coming from his throat. I knew I had to chase after him, so I ran. I called for him, but there was no answer. It was so dark now, and I couldn't find anyone.

I kept running calling for Jake, and for Liam, but finding neither of them. Eventually I came to a clearing where light seemed to be pouring out of. When I got there I was horrified at what I saw. The first thing I noticed was Jake in human form and Liam both lying on the ground unmoving. The rest of the clearing was dark, but it seemed like there was a spotlight on their figures. I called their names in a panic but they didn't move. Then I noticed a figure standing in the shadows over them. I couldn't make out who it was, but the light was gradually enveloping the figure, and it was slowly coming into view. When I saw who it was I screamed.

Standing there looking back at me wide-eyed was _me_. Dream me looked down at the two lifeless bodies and held up her hands, which were covered in their blood. Right at that moment I shot up in bed panting. I had never had a dream that felt so real, or so terrifying. I had no idea what it meant, but it kept me up for the rest of the night.

The next morning had gone much like the previous one. Alice had dressed me, and gotten me ready, and Esme prepared me a large breakfast that I was forced to eat. Luckily Jake was there to finish what I didn't even after he had a large plate himself. That earned him an "It's not good to feed the dog table food" comment from Rose. I didn't tell Jake about my dream, or anyone else for that matter. I put it in the back of my mind, not thinking about it at all, as to not alert my father.

School was much the same as well, only now I knew some of the students. Jenna spotted me in the parking lot, and took the opportunity to invite 'me and my family' to a party at her house this weekend. I declined telling her we would be hiking this weekend, when in actuality we would be hunting up North in Canada where it was grizzly season, Emmett's favorite.

I tried not to, but the whole day I was looking around for any sign of Liam in the halls. Alice noticed this when we were walking in the hall, and asked me what was wrong. I told her it was nothing, but she cocked her eyebrow. "It's that boy isn't it?" she asked. I had forgotten Alice had the vision. "No" I lied. " I don't know what you're talking about." She smiled.

"I for one think it would be so cute if you had a little human boyfriend. You couldn't get too attached of course, but he could take you to dances, and I could get you all dressed up for dates!" she exclaimed. I rolled my eyes. "Alice, there is something wrong with you." I said as I walked into my class.

By lunch I had not seen Liam once, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. When I sat down after getting my soon to be wasted meal, my eyes darted to the table he had been sitting at yesterday. I felt a feeling akin to relief when I saw two beautiful brown eyes looking back at me, smiling. He nodded his head at me slightly indicating a 'hello'. I waved a small hello back, smiling probably too much. It was then I noticed six pairs of eyes on me. Emmett looking confused, Jasper looking like he would have a headache if it were possible,( probably from all the emotions), my mother looking hurt, as if she knew I was hiding something from her, Alice about to burst with excitement, and my father looking worried, and slightly annoyed. Of course they would have seen the whole exchange. I spent the rest of the lunch period trying not to look at Liam's table. When the bell rang, I jumped out of my chair, barely saying goodbye to my family and fled before I could be stopped my Jenna or any of my other new 'friends'. I didn't feel like talking to anyone right now.

I made my way to the chemistry room early, and took my seat. When Jenna came in the room she waved and smiled and took her seat. She looked like she wanted to come over and talk, but I was glad she decided against it. A minute or so later Liam walked in. He looked right at me with that breathtaking little smile and made his way across the room. "Hi" he said as he sat down next to me. So I guess he wanted to talk again today. I wonder if he was looking forward to this all day, as I had been.

"Hey" I replied back in a voice that was for some reason an octave higher than my normal speaking voice. Before we could say anything else a big, portly man walked in the room. He informed us that he was our sub and that the regular teacher had a family emergency and could not make the class. He handed out a worksheet that the teacher asked to have us fill out in his absence.

"Lucky break, huh? Only the second day of school and we already have a sub." Liam said as the teacher walked around the room distributing the paper. I smiled and shook my head in agreement. I was trying not to stare, so I decided to fill out the worksheet. It was ridiculously easy, just basic questions about the periodic table. I was finished in not five minutes. When I was done Liam was looking at me wide eyed. "Wow you really know your stuff" he said amazed at my ability to do simple chemistry.

"I took a chemistry class last year at my old high school." I lied.

"And where was that?" he asked. He seemed genuinely interested in my background.

"I just moved here from Washington. I'm form a small town called Forks." I said. It felt good to tell him the truth about something.

"Yeah, I moved to this hell hole about a year ago." He had a bit of bitterness in his voice. I assumed he really hated it here.

"Where did you live before?" I asked repeating his interest from before. And I really was interested. I felt I needed to know more about him, even the smallest details were important to me.

"Oh all over the place. My mom is kind of crazy, she always moved us around when I was a kid. I've lived in Boston, New York ,Chicago, Miami, LA and a few more I can't remember from when I was really young. We always stuck to the cities though. This is my first venture into suburbia." He said with a hint of nostalgia in his voice.

"What made her want to move here then?" I asked. His face immediately got serious.

"I live with my dad now. She kind of shipped me off." He said the last part in the same bitter tone he used before, but with definite sadness in his eyes. I could tell that he was hurting, and that there was more to this story, but I decided not to ask."My dad's cool though, he lets me do pretty much what I want, and gives me my space. What else could I really ask for?" he added. I smiled a small smile at him in return.

"So what about you, what brings you here?" He asked.

"My dad is a doctor and he was offered a position at the hospital in town, so he took it." I told him our concocted story, again feeling wrong for having to lie to him.

"So do you like it here?"

"It's … adequate" I decided that would work. "I just miss my friends from home." I said explaining my answer.

"Well good luck finding friends here. Pretty much everyone in this town are assholes." I blushed slightly at his use of the swear word.

"Well I have my siblings to keep me company." I said "And a few people here seem nice enough."

"Is that who you were sitting at with lunch?" he asked referring to my 'siblings'.

"Yeah. We're all adopted or foster children, so we're all around the same age. We're pretty close."

"That's cool. I always wished I had brothers or sisters; people who would be there for you no matter what. He paused. I hope you don't mind me asking, and you don't have to answer, but what happened to you real parents?" He asked seeming nervous about upsetting me.

"They died when I was very young. Carlisle and Esme adopted my twin brother Edward and I." I looked down because I couldn't look at him in the face when I lied to him.

"Oh shit, sorry I didn't want to upset you or anything. I just feel really… comfortable talking to you, and sometimes my brain works without a filter." He said thinking that he upset me. I looked up excited at the fact that he felt the same way talking to me as I did him.

"Don't worry about it. They died when I was very young, I barely remember them." He looked relieved that he didn't upset me.

"Alright if I say anything that bothers you just slap me or something. I don't socialize with many people and my social cues are kind of off." He said trying to lighten the mood.

"I'll be sure to do that" I said with a smile.

"So how old are you Nessie?" he asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence. I smiled at his use of the nickname I told him to use yesterday.

"I'm sixteen." I told him. "You?"

"I'll be eighteen in a few months." He said seeming like he was counting down the days.

"You must be a senior then. I thought this class was for sophomores and juniors." I said.

"Well my chemistry teacher in New York where I was living at the time, failed me due to… personal issues, so I had to retake the class." He responded.

"Personal issues?" I questioned.

"Yeah, I kind of called him a 'stupid son of a bitch' or something like that the day the principal was observing the class, and then preceded to TP his house the next day. It wasn't my fault though. He was a dick." He recounted. I laughed. If anyone else told me a story using his choice expletives I would have been put off, by their crude behavior, but it didn't bother me coming from him. It just fit; that's how he was.

The rest of the class continued like that. We kept up easy conversation, laughing and joking around like we had known each other for years instead of a day. It was so easy to be myself around him. I told him about my love for music, which is something that we both shared in common, and how I could play the piano. Liam found that fascinating. He told me he could play the guitar. I was actually opening myself up to him, telling him things about me that were actually true, and not a part of the whole charade-well at least as much as I possibly could; because as much as I wanted to know him, I wanted _him_ to know _me_ as well. When the bell rang it felt like we had only been talking for minutes instead of a whole hour. But he didn't get up and run out as he did yesterday, instead he stayed put eyeing me with a smile.

"There is something so…different about you Nessie." He said echoing my word for him. "I can't put my finger on it, but I feel like I've known you for a lot longer than a day. Oh God, I sound like an idiot" he added. I laughed at the fact that he was obviously flustered around me, just as I was around him.

"Well I have to get home" I said disappointed that I had to end our conversation, but not wanting to keep my family waiting, as to not raise any questions. "I'll see you tomorrow though?" I asked.

"Yeah, definitely" he responded a smile lighting up his gorgeous face. As I got up my hand brushed his and I felt the strangest electrical current run between us. He looked as if he felt it to, and grabbed onto my hand for a second. "You want to do something tomorrow after school? I know this really cool place if you want to just hang out." He asked letting go of my hand. I was so excited by his invitation that I responded without thinking.

"Yes. I would really like that" I responded. Then I turned to leave, already excited for tomorrow. _What was I doing?_ I thought to myself. I can't let myself get too emotionally involved with this boy no matter how I felt about him, because the truth was, we were different. There was no way he could get to know the real me, because the real me wasn't human. I was getting my hopes up for nothing. We weren't meant to be together no matter how I felt, or what Alice's visions said. We were too different.

I couldn't help the feeling of sadness that this fact caused me. I knew I had feelings for him, and I was pretty sure he had feelings for me. As I made my way to my dad's car I couldn't help think of his face, _those eye, _his hair that I just wanted to run my fingers through. I thought about his voice and the sadness in his eyes when he talked about his mother. His penchant for swear words, and his musical laugh. Then I remembered the conversation with my father yesterday and my dream from last night. My mind began to wonder and I saw a whole different set of scenarios.

I saw him standing in front of the menacing figure of Aro , who had once haunted my dreams. I saw him under the torturous glare of the sadistic Jane calling out for help. I saw him being circled by a group of hungry, red eyed vampires. Then I saw me trying to kiss him and losing control, and going straight for his neck. I was so foolish to think that anything could happen between us. I couldn't let any of this happen. No matter how much it hurt me I had to promise myself I would not let myself fall in love with him.

Then I thought about how it felt to talk and laugh with him. I was pretending to be human, and part being human was having friends. If there was anyone I had met here that I wanted to get to know better it was Liam. So I would do just that. I was too selfish to cut him out of my life completely, and I was pretty sure I had enough control to prevent myself from falling in love with him, or at very least enough common sense to not act on the feeling. But it couldn't hurt to be friends, _could it?_

**AN: I posted my 'casting' of Renesmee and Liam on the bottom of my profile. It was so hard for me to find suitable people for them, because I wrote their descriptions before I even thought about actually putting a face to them. I will probably add more characters as the story progresses. So check it out, and please leave your lovely reviews thanks so much!**


	5. Chapter 4

**AN: Wow total lag in updates I know, but school has been crazy, but now that midterms are done I'll be updating more frequently. Not to mention that I lost like three chapters and had to start them over when my computer crashed and I had to get a new hard drive. I despise technology. But please before I continue I need reviews, otherwise I have no idea if my story is coming along well. I can take constructive criticism as well, so don't hold back. Press that little review button at the bottom of the chapter, you know you want to. **

_Sin from thy lips?  
O trespass sweetly urged!  
Give me my sin again.  
-Romeo and Juliet Act I, Scene IV_

The rest of the day went by painstakingly slow. I tried to avoid my family as much as possible because I knew they knew something was going on, and I couldn't take their questioning glares. I didn't even really know what was going on. Instead I went to hunt by myself. I had only gone by myself once or twice, but I really needed to be alone to sort through my thoughts which had been going in overdrive since I met Liam.

When I got back from hunting a few hours and three deer later I went straight to my room. I knew I wasn't helping my family's curiosity by avoiding them, but I didn't care. I was lying on my bed thinking about why on earth I agreed to 'hang out' with Liam tomorrow when I heard a knock on my door, and a gruff voice on the other side. "Ness, can I come in?" I called out permission and in walked Jacob. He came and sat down next to me, with an annoyed look on his face.

"You know I don't like it when you keep stuff from me, and I can tell that something has been bothering you. I'm not stupid. I know you better than almost anyone in the world. We have always been there for each other, and I don't want us to be driven apart by the distance between us now. So can you tell me what's going on?" He had an edge of anger in his voice that made me angry at him.

"I don't have to tell you everything Jake. Did you ever think there are some things I don't want to talk about? You're my friend not my keeper."

Jake looked hurt by this but I couldn't understand why. Then raw anger flashed across his face and he abruptly stood up. "You just don't understand how I feel about you, what I would do for you. It hurts me that you can't come to me for everything. I don't want there to be anything we can't talk about, anything between us. I feel like I'm losing you." He said the last part almost in a whisper. I was confused by his whole outburst. Of course I understood how he felt about me. We were best friends for as long as I could remember. He would do anything to protect me, or make me happy or see me smile, and I felt the same way about him.

I sighed and grabbed his hand and pulled him back down to sit next to me. "Jake you're my best friend and you always will be. Nothing can come between us, you know that." I said as I looked into his big dark eyes. He looked relieved, but still somewhat sad at this. Jake has been so confusing lately, which is something I was not used to. My friendship with Jacob had always been one of the most secure things in my life. It seemed like everything in my world was changing, and I wasn't ready.

"You mean the world to me Ness" Jake said as he looked into my eyes with such intensity that it almost frightened me. "When you're ready I'll be here to talk."He assured. He kissed the top of my head and left me alone to my thinking.

* * *

The next day I was terribly nervous to go to school and face Liam, but I was still excited to spend time with him after school. _As friends_ I kept reminding myself. That's all he would be. My friend. My gorgeous, witty, perfect friend. I groaned at the thought. The hard part though was getting away from my family without them knowing where I was going.

I was riding with my mom and dad to school, and I knew I had to come up with a story that they would believe, and hope that if Alice saw anything she would be able to keep it to herself. "Hey dad?" I said when we were half way to school.

"Hm?" he responded while bringing my mother's hand up to his mouth to kiss it. I sometimes felt like my parents lived in their own little world where they were the only two that existed.

It was time for me to clear my head and make this lie believable. "I was invited to my friend Jenna's house after school today. We are going to work on an assignment for our English class." I said as believingly as I could. I was focusing on not thinking about who I would really be with. I had learned many years ago that if I focused I could keep a relatively clear mind which always helped me if I wanted to keep something from my father.

My father's eyes darted to me in the rearview mirror. He looked like he was trying to figure something out, but I just looked innocently back at him. "Do you need me to drive you?" he asked finally, a sign that he had accepted my story.

"No that's ok. Jenna said that we could just leave after school. She drives. She told me she would drop me off at home when we're done as well."

"I think it's great that you're making friends sweetie. I knew you would have enough control to be around humans." my mother added as she turned around to smile at me. I did feel bad for lying to my parents, but there was no way my father would approve of me going out alone with Liam.

When we pulled into the school parking lot I noticed Jenna standing by the side of the building looking impatient. When I got out of the car I noticed a look cross her face that indicated that I was what she was waiting for. She smiled at me and waved me over, looking like she had something she was dying to talk to me about. I sighed internally, and told m parents I would see them later as they walked hand in hand towards the school building meeting up with the rest of the family.

When I approached Jenna she had a big smile on her face. "So Renesmee, I saw you talking with Liam Quinn the whole hour yesterday in chem." She said in an almost whisper that dripped of curiosity.

"Yeah, he's my lab partner, we were just talking about the work." I lied hoping she would believe me.

"It didn't look like that to me. I swear the way you two kept smiling and leaning into each other I could have sworn you were going to make out in the middle of the chem. room." She exclaimed. I looked around to see if any of my family were close enough to hear the conversation, but luckily they were nowhere in sight, and I knew my father wouldn't listen into our conversation. He knew I hated it when he did that.

"It's not like that at all Jenna, we're just friends." I'm sure she could hear the annoyance in my voice from her curiosity on the subject, but that didn't stop her.

"Whatever, all I know is that I have never seen Liam Quinn have more than a five minute conversation with anyone at this school, and yesterday he talked with you for an hour straight, and was laughing and smiling. Every other time I see him he seems so angry and well… mean."

"He's not as bad as you make him out to be. He seems nice to me." I responded, surprised at my automatic urge to defend him.

Jenna snorted."Nice…right. Do you know he was in jail before he moved here?" she was full out whispering now. "That's why his mom sent him away; apparently he was some sort of criminal. I don't know exactly what he did, but I heard it was really bad."

My eyebrows furrowed at this news. She had mentioned something about jail the other day but I didn't believe her. I couldn't believe that he was a criminal. I could definitely see that he had an authority problem perhaps, but I just knew he was a good person under his tough façade.

"I don't know what his past is, but that could just be a rumor. It's not fair to judge someone based on hearsay." I responded probably sounding angrier than I meant to.

"I'm just telling you, that you seem like a good person, and I would stay away from him if I were you. He's bad news. Ask anyone in this town."

"Thanks for the concern Jenna." I responded coldly brushing past her and making my way into the building. She is the second person to tell me to stay away from Liam, but for totally different reasons. It's not like I could name the inexplicable attraction between Liam and myself, but I knew he felt it too, and that excited me way more than it should have.

The rest of the day I avoided Jenna, not wanting to talk to her again about Liam. I didn't like how she thought of him. She had the gossiping, shallow nature of your average teenager which I was becoming acquainted with fast, after only a few days in high school. I was truly glad sometimes that I wasn't fully human.

I was too nervous to go to lunch today, because it was always the first time of the day that I saw Liam, and I didn't want to repeat the awkwardness of staring and smiling at him like a moron with my family throwing me questioning glares, so I went to the library instead. I was sitting down reading a book when I felt a familiar presence flit to my side and glide into the empty seat next to me.

"So are you excited about your date this afternoon?" Alice's pixie like voice rang in my ear.

"Alice shhh. It's not a date anyway we're just 'hanging out'" I said using the term normal teenager's use for spending time with one another.

She laughed her light airy laugh. "Aren't you glad you have an aunt who can see the future so she can always dress you in the appropriate clothing." She responded ignoring my comment on the non date status of our planed afternoon. Alice had gotten better at seeing my future throughout the years, but still everything was never totally clear to her when it came to me. Her comment made me thing about the outfit she had dressed me in this morning. I was wearing jeans, a sweater, and hiking boots, not an outfit Alice would normally pick though the items were all very fashionable, and happened to all be designer names. That certainly was something that screamed Alice.

"I guess we'll be outdoors then?" I asked questioning her motives behind her outfit selection.

Alice smiled again. "Nuh uh I'm not telling you anything. Actually I'm trying not to think about it at all. It's very draining to keep my visions from your father. Whenever he senses that I'm trying not to think of something, he always probes my brain relentlessly, the know it all."

I smiled back at her. "Thank you Alice for keeping this from dad." She just took my hand and patted it.

"I know that you're confused about your feelings for this human. From what Jasper tells me you're an emotional wreck. But you will do the right thing, I have faith in you. The future is a strange thing, I should know, and sometimes I can't even be sure how it will turn out, but I do believe that everything happens for a reason, and I'm sure you are feeling the way you are because you are meant to. Everything will work out as it should." Alice spoke so softly that human ears would not be able to pick up what she was saying.

I squeezed her ice cold hand and pulled her into a hug. "Thanks Alice, I really needed that"

When the bell rang for the next class I made my way to chemistry feeling re-assured by Alice's little pep talk. When I walked in the room Liam was already sitting in his seat. He smiled his beautiful smile when he saw me walk through the door. I felt my face break into a big goofy smile back. I made my way to my seat and he scooted my chair out for me. My heart melted at the gesture.

"I didn't see you at lunch with your family today." He said once I was seated. "I thought maybe you changed your mind about hanging out with me, and didn't show." He said with a smile.

"Oh. No. I was in the library doing work."

"Well then we're still on for after school?" he asked with a hint of a smile on his face.

"Yes." I responded."What are we doing anyway?" I asked though I had a pretty good idea from Alice that it had something to do with the outdoors.

"I just wanted to take you to this place I go sometimes. It's kind of a hike, if that's okay with you?" he asked with his head looking down at the table.

"That's fine with me, I actually quite like hiking." I replied with a smile. He was probably worried that I wouldn't want to be out in the woods hiking, that I would be scared like most girls would be, but I already knew I was probably the scariest thing in the woods, and I really did enjoy being in the wilderness.

The teacher came in at this point and started putting notes on the board. I copied them down though I knew all the information he was giving us, and internally counted down the seconds until Liam and I could talk again.

When the bell rang I slammed my book close and turned to Liam who was smiling at me.

"You ready to get out of here?" he asked.

"Yeah I just have to go to my locker. I'll be a minute." I responded getting up and darting out of the room. I'm sure Liam was confused but I made my way to the back door of the school near the parking lot and peeked out the window. I was happy that Jenna had some sort of practice after school so her car was still in the lot, and my family would not see her leave alone. I noticed my family get into their cars and speed off. Once my father's car was gone I turned around to make my way back to the classroom to find Liam, but to my shock he was standing right behind me. I felt like my vampire senses were failing me. I should have sensed him there. He had an amused look on his face.

"So I take it your family doesn't know you're spending your afternoon with me?" he asked raising his eyebrows

"What makes you think that?" I responded caught off guard by his observation.

"Oh I don't know maybe you running off to your 'locker' and then peeping out the window until your brother's car drove off until you would come back to meet me." He said as he smiled teasingly at me.

His smile lit up his face. It was so infectious I couldn't help but smile back. "Ok. You caught me. I hope you're not offended with that or anything. It's just that my family can be…overprotective." That definitely wasn't a lie.

"It's cool." He said and then he laughed, and leaned down close to my ear. "Plus I don't think there is anything _you_ could do that would offend_ me._" I felt dizzy at his closeness. My stomach was doing full on flips. "Come on" he said. "I don't want to get stuck out in the dark. I'm sure you wouldn't appreciate that" he said motioning for me to follow him to the parking lot. He led me to the same black car that I saw him get into the other day. It looked old, but well taken care of. He saw me admiring the car and got a proud smile on his face as he opened the door for me and then got in the driver's side. He turned the car on and pulled away.

"Your car is nice." I complimented him. I could tell by his smile before that he was proud of it. His smile grew bigger.

"It's a 1970 mustang. When I moved here, it was rotting away under a tarp in my dad's garage. He let me have it, all I had do to was pay to fix it up. I didn't know much about cars, but I learned quickly. I needed something to do in this hellhole. It took me quite awhile to get this thing on the road. But I love it."

I was pleasantly surprised that I found something he was passionate about. I knew a little about cars myself, though not nearly as much as Rose.

"What about you, do you drive?" he asked.

I tried to hide my smile. While I wasn't an expert on cars I did love driving them. I inherited my father's appreciation for fast vehicles. I learned to drive when I was only five human years old when Emmett hotwired my dad's car and took me out for driving lessons. Needless to say dad wasn't too happy about that, and Emmett nearly ended up a pile of ashes.

"Yeah I love driving. I actually just got a car over the summer, but I'm never allowed to drive it to school." I responded dejectedly. In order to try to make me feel better about the move, my parents, well really my dad since my mom couldn't care less about cars, bought me this car I had been eying. It certainly managed to cheer me up somewhat. I loved my car. However in order to avoid drawing any more unnecessary attention I was never allowed to drive it.

"Oh, yeah what kind of car?" he asked genuinely interested.

I blushed slightly. I didn't want to sound like I was bragging, but I told him I had a car, so I didn't see any reason to lie to him about this. "I have an Audi r8." I said in a nonchalant voice, hoping he didn't think I was trying to show off or anything.

"Shit, are you serious! An r8? Those things can go like 190! You have to let me drive that one day, I have to see if it really does go as fast as they say!" he exclaimed sounding like an excited kid in a toy store. I knew that he couldn't just come to my house to take my car for a spin, and the thought of a human driving my baby anywhere near its top speeds made me cringe, however I lit up inside at any hint of future time spent together so I just smiled at him.

"I really don't think that it's possible to drive 190 miles per hour on this town's service roads." _for a human anyway_ I thought to myself "But I'd be willing to let you take her for a ride. You should feel honored though I don't let too many people get behind her wheel."

He gave me a sly smile that sent my heart into acrobatics. "Well than Miss. Cullen, I do feel honored. You must really like me, to trust me with such an expensive piece of machinery."

I just smiled at him and blushed for what felt like the thousandth time and looked out the window, not knowing how to answer his comment. I noticed that he was driving pretty fast for a human. I found myself concerned that we would crash, not concerned for my safety, since I would undoubtedly come out of it without a scratch, but for his. Humans were not that durable, and they most definitely didn't have the reflexes to handle a car with the same efficiency that we could. As I was about to mention the speed to him, he slowed down to make a turn at the next cross street. The road was not smooth and paved like the one form the school, but rough, and made of gravel. I heard the tires crunch against the gravel as he turned onto it. I noticed now that we were into the forest as trees and other vegetation became more prevalent. We had to turn down a similar road to get to our new home.

"We're going into the forest?" I asked, although it was pretty clear that that was indeed our destination.

"Yeah I hope you don't mind. There is this place here that I like to come and clear my thoughts. It's kind of like my special place, but for some reason since I met you I've wanted to take you here." He admitted to me. He shook his head and closed his eyes seemingly embarrassed by his admission. "Sorry if I sound like a freaking creep. We can turn around now if you want, I don't blame you if you don't want to be alone with me after that. I told you I have no internal censor."

"No it's okay. I trust you." I reassured him. He seemed to relax at this and continued to drive up the road. Eventually he pulled the car over, and turned it off.

"It's not that much further from here. I hope you don't mind walking. It's not too difficult of a hike, but there is a little bit of a climb, and there is not a really clear path." He said as we got out of the car. I laughed a little under my breath, at the thought of me having any difficulty with a little hike. I hunted in these forests all the time, and could probably be to the state line of Washington and back before he finished the hike, depending how far he was taking us.

"I'll be fine. Like I said, I've grown up doing stuff like this." I told him. He led the way up into the trees. Soon the road was no longer in sight. It was strange to walk through the forest at a human speed. I was so used to running or hunting that it felt strange to put up my human façade here, where my true nature was usually fully on display. I let Liam lead the way, and tried to look human climbing up over the rocks and hills. I even pretended to trip a little once to appear more vulnerable. Even though it was just a stumble Liam's hand reached out to grab my elbow and steady me. The second his skin touched mine I felt that same jolt of electricity as last time we touched. It wasn't unpleasant though, just strong and noticeable. He pulled his hand away fast, so I assumed he felt it too. Or maybe he realized my skin was much warmer than a normal human's.

After about twenty five minutes I noticed the trees give way to a clearing up ahead. When we got passed the line of evergreens I saw a river up ahead. Around the river were large rocks and boulders, some covered with moss, and grass. There were beautiful trees different from the evergreens and redwoods deep in the forest but still just as majestic in their own way. The view of the crystal clear water was amazing. It was when a faint odor hit me that I realized where we were. I could smell in the distance the unique and distinct smells of my family, and even the musky, slightly animalistic smell of Jake. When I looked hard across the river I noticed some familiar landscapes that made up our hunting grounds. We were across the river from our property, and my forest. Just across on the other riverbank is where I sat with Jake the other day.

"This is my place." Liam said as he came and stood next to me. "I'm not a huge nature person or anything, but one day when I first moved here, I was so fed up with everything that I just drove, eventually I just stopped and walked. I was kind of hoping to just lose myself, but I found this place instead. It's where I come when I need some clarity. Something about that river just, I don't know makes me feel… better, like a normal, complete person." He sat down on a big boulder as he was saying this and stared out into the river. I sat down next to him tentatively. I understood that he was beginning to open up to me.

"I understand what it's like to feel different." I said in a low voice as I placed my hand on his shoulder. He looked at me and smiled a sad, far away smile. He then went back to looking straight ahead across the river. A thought dawned on me, and I let out a little laugh at the irony. He mashed his eyebrows together in an inquisitive glance.

"Do you know what's on the other side of that river?" I asked. He shook his head no. "Well that's sort of my forest. Well not really mine, but my family owns all that property, our house is all the way back there." I continued pointing far beyond any distance you could see. "I come into those woods all the time to think, just like you, and always end up by this river. It's just so serene. So I guess in a way we share this river. You had it longer granted, but I hope you don't mind, that your special place is sort of mine as well in a way."

"I wouldn't mind sharing it with you. Maybe that's why I felt compelled to bring you here. It's just as much yours as it is mine." He said staring into my eyes. I noticed his beautiful, soulful brown eyes had specks of green and gold throughout them, making them sparkle in the sunlight. It was beautiful.

"So tell me about your family." He said interrupting the moment we were sharing. "The school has been buzzing with all sorts of rumors since you guys arrived. Even I've heard them. Though I have to admit it's nice not to be the most talked about member of the student body anymore." He said in a playful manner. I really didn't want to have a discussion about my family, but the topic was inevitable so I decided to just get it over with.

"Well like I said Carlisle and Esme my parents took us all in. Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper are the oldest. Rose and Jasper are twins. They are both great. Rose is like a really protective big sister, and Jasper always knows how to put me in a better mood, and is a great listener. Emmett is the big clown out of all of us. He and I have pulled some pretty impressive pranks in our day. Alice is my age, and she is the most hyper, little ball of energy you'll ever meet. She's great though, I wouldn't have her any other way. Bella is my age too. She and I are very close. She's always been there for me, and I can talk to her about almost anything. I love her with all my heart. Edward is my twin. We've always been really close. He's super protective of me, but I know there is nothing in the world he wouldn't do for me if I asked, and I love him endlessly for it." I was glad that despite my lies about the nature of the relationships I'd managed to describe my family in accurate ways.

"Wow. That's crazy I can't imagine having people your that close too. Growing up it was just me and my mom. Sometimes I would stay with my dad during summers, but my mom was pretty much the only constant person in my life." I noticed the sadness in his voice and eyes when he talked about his mother, and it made me sad as well. I wanted to ask him why she sent him away, but did not want to bring up bad memories.

"Anyway I'm sure that you've heard some rumors about me since you've started school. People gossip here more than I thought humanly possible." He said changing the subject.

"I've heard a thing or two" I admitted

"Like?" he asked. I could tell he didn't like the idea of the kids at school telling me anything about him that might taint my judgment of him.

"Oh just things." I responded trying to show that the gossip and rumors didn't matter to me.

"I bet it was that bitch Jenna you hang out with. She hate my freaking guts, though I have no idea why. Tell me what you heard." I could tell he wouldn't be reassured until I told him what I heard and dismissed it.

"Well someone warned me that your trouble." I said "But I don't believe them." I quickly added. He laughed one quick laugh.

"Oh, I'm most definitely trouble. You seem like the type not to get in trouble too, so maybe you shouldn't hang around me." I noticed his voice got lower and he looked visibly saddened at that prospect. "What exactly did you hear though?" he asked. I didn't want to tell him what Jenna told me about his criminal past, but I think that is what he was fishing for, and I did want to know if there was any truth to it.

"Someone told me that you were… in jail." I said the last work audibly lower, and looked away from his gazed embarrassed by my unwilling participation in Jenna's gossip.

"Oh. Well that's not technically a lie either." He said looking down at his hands as he cracked his knuckles. "I wasn't incarcerated or anything, but I was arrested and put in jail." He said still not looking at me.

"For what?" I asked trying to make sure with my tone that it was okay to open up to me. That I wasn't going to judge him. He sighed.

"I don't really talk about this, but I don't want you to hear some lies about me and believe it." He started off. He paused for what seemed like hours and then turned to face me. "As I said before my mom was basically my rock growing up, but she was always very flighty. She could never stay in the same place long, could never stay with the same job long, and could never stay with the same guy long. Well there were always different guys coming in and out of our lives. I learned to not get attached cause my mom would eventually get tired of them and move on." I could see the anger beginning to build up as he prepared for the next part of his story.

"Well about two years ago she met this guy, Frank, who she totally fell head over heels for in a way I had never seen before. She didn't really ever bring guys around me, since she didn't want me to become attached or some shit, but about 3 months after they started dating he moved in with us. I knew something was wrong with him from the start, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. It's when I started noticing bruises and cuts on my mom that I started to notice something really wrong was going on. I would ask her if he was doing it to her, but she would deny it every time." He looked disgusted at this point; the words were coming out between clenched teeth.

"One day I came home to find him pummeling my mom. She was crying, he was just hitting her in the face, the chest everywhere. She had a black eye a bloody nose, and was bleeding from the head. I just lost it. I don't even remember attacking him. I just threw myself at him. Punching, kicking doing anything I could to hurt him. He didn't even get a good hit in, I was too furious. I just kept hitting him, even when he stopped trying to fight back. Then I grabbed the toaster or something I don't even remember from the counter and just knocked him out. That's all I remember." His knuckled were white as he tried to grab onto the rock to control his anger

"The next thing I know I'm in the police station. Apparently some neighbor heard the whole thing and called the cops. Frank was messed up pretty badly. He was in intensive care though he was going to make it out without any permanent injuries" I noticed the angry, almost disappointed tone in his voice as he said this. "I on the other hand was being held in jail, and the charges that could be filed against me were looking pretty hefty. I could have been charged with attempted murder. My mom though didn't let this happen. She pleaded with Frank not to press charges. He eventually agreed only if she agreed to take him back, and move away with him, and send me away." Liam was flat out fuming now. I could practically see the steam coming out of his ears.

"She did it. She agreed to his whole stupid, shitty plan, just to save me. She is out there somewhere now with him, and I can't do anything about it. It's all because of me that she has to put up with him. I would gladly serve jail time to keep her away from that asshole. She wouldn't let me though." His voice sounded like he was in extreme danger of breaking into sobs. I tried to console him by placing my hand on his shoulder and he seemed to relax into my touch.

"I've never talked to anyone about this before." He said staring once again deep into my eyes. "But for some reason I wanted to tell you. I couldn't stand the idea of you thinking of me as some lowlife criminal or something; though I suppose  
I'm lower than that for letting my mom run off with that guy."

"Liam, it's not your fault. Your mom was just protecting you, like any parent would do for their child. You're not the one to blame in this whole situation." I spoke with sincerity. I didn't like the idea of his beating himself up over this. It truly wasn't his fault at all. Liam sighed and reached out shyly and took my hand.

"I feel better with you here Renesmee. He said with a small smile. "I can't describe how I feel around you. It's like I need to get closer. You draw me in like no one I've ever met." He looked so positive in his statement, and his words made me feel like flying.

"I feel the same about you. It's like we're opposite ends of a magnet or something. It's the most bizarre thing." I admitted. I barely noticed that our heads were getting closer together as we continued to talk. He reached his hand up and grazed my face with the back of his hand. I closed my eyes at the warm sensations that shot through my body at his touch. It was almost as if part of me recognized and was familiar with his touch.

"I really want to kiss you Renesmee." He said in a low voice almost in my ear, as he continued to move his hand around my face. My heart felt like it would break free of my chest and fly away.

"Then do it" I whispered without even thinking. In the next instant our noses were touching. I could hear his ragged breath, and unsteady heartbeat, it matched my own. A second after that his lips were on mine. The feeling was indescribable. It was as if parts of me I didn't even know existed came alive. As his lips brushed ever so lightly against mine it was as if in that instant any difference between us didn't matter. He wasn't a fragile human, and I wasn't a predator that craved his blood. I could smell his sweet scent and hear the blood rush through his veins, and even feel the dull burning in my throat, but I had no desire to drink his blood. He felt too vital to my existence.

He took my upper lip between his, and I could feel his tongue ever so slightly graze my bottom lip. At this sensation I put my hands in his hair and ran them down to his face. I left them there feeling his soft skin between my fingertips. I felt a swirl of images and emotions go through my head, and almost instantaneously I realized what was going on.

I immediately dropped my hands and pulled away. I had just shown him something. I was usually so good at controlling my power but with him kissing me like that I lost all rational thought. Liam was looking at me wide eyed his heart still beating a mile a minute.

"What the hell was that?" he asked in a wondrous tone, with a little smile on his face. Just like that I was pulled back to reality. _What was I thinking?_ No matter what we felt, this couldn't happen between us. It was too dangerous for him; there was no way it would work out.

"I don't know." I responded in a far away tone. Liam smiled devilishly at me.

"I say we try again, and find out." He said leaning his face down to meet mine again. I pulled back and put my hand on his chest.

"Liam" I said in a sad and apologetic tone. "We can't do this." It almost sounded as if I were talking to myself, and in a way I was. He looked confused, and maybe a little bit angry.

"Why not? I thought we both had feelings for each other. I _know_ I have feelings for you. Goddamn strong ones at that." He added under his breath. "And I don't know about you, but that was the best kiss I've ever had in my life." There was no need to tell him that was the only kiss, I've ever had, but I knew either way it would have ranked at the very top of the list.

"Liam believe me I do have feelings for you, but this could never work our between us. I'm not good for you." I said, heartbroken at the fact that it was true.

"You're not good for me? Shouldn't I be saying that about me? You're perfect. I'm a screw up. If anything I should be staying away from you, but I don't think  
I can. I'm drawn to you in the strongest way." He said, his eyes pleading.

I sighed. This was so much harder than I thought. "I'm far from perfect. There are things about me that you just can't know. I can't afford to get too close to anyone, and you can't afford to get too close to me." I couldn't look at him.

He just sighed and looked towards the river. "You know I don't know what you mean, but I hope to find out. Can we at least be friends? I feel like I need you to be in my life in some way at least."

"Yeah, I think it would be okay. I already convinced myself it would be alright for us to be friends. I feel the same way about you by the way." I admitted.

Liam let out a small laugh and looked at me. "You know you're like no one I've ever met before Renesmee. I guess we're both kind of freaks. Who has crazy intense feelings about someone they met three days ago? Better yet, who admits it to the other person, just to be shot down?" he was smiling, but I could see the disappointment in his face, it was the same disappointment I felt in my heart. Because after that kiss that we shared there was nothing in this world I wanted more than another one and another after that. I wanted to be with him. Yet my nature would never allow it.

"I guess we are a couple of freaks." I said smiling back at him. We both just sat there in silence for a few minutes. The silence was comfortable, no awkwardness, just peace.

"I think we should get going. It's going to be dark soon." Liam said

"Okay, that's probably a good idea." I said though I really did not want to leave this place, and go back to the real world. In this world where it was just Liam and I we could be together, it was out there in the real world that was keeping us apart.

As we walked back to the car I realized how monumental the day had been. Liam and I opened up to each other, we shared our confusing, and unexplainable feelings for each other, we had kissed, and I had told him that we couldn't be together. It was going to be hard to just be friends after today.

The way back was silent. I had him drop me off about two miles from my house. I lied about the distance up the road so he wouldn't insist on driving me up to the house. I also reminded him that no one in my family knew I was with him this afternoon.

As I turned to say goodbye to him, he reached out his hand and touched my shoulder. I turned around to face him.

"Renesmee wait. I told you that I wanted us to be friends, but don't think that means I'm giving up on you. I'll wait until you ready, but I just want you to know that I'll be here when you are. I know that what I feel for you goes beyond friendship, and I'm not willing to give up on that." He said in a low and sincere voice.

I sighed. This was only going to make it harder to be only friends with him, but I'd rather have the minor difficulty than cut him out of my life altogether. "I'll see you tomorrow Liam." I said in a sad voice avoiding his statement for now. I didn't look back as I got out of the car and started to walk down the road.

Once I was sure that I was no longer in his view I broke into a run. This day had not gone at all how I planned it. I could not forget the feeling of Liam so close to me, the feeling of my hand in his, or his lips on mine. I just kept replaying the moments we shared together by the river over and over again in my mind.

I was abruptly pulled from my thoughts when I got to the front of my house and saw Alice standing outside with an apologetic look on her face. I knew immediately that was not good. When I got up to where she was standing she sighed and took my hand.

"I'm sorry Nessie, I tried to keep my vision to myself, but I slipped, and he saw."

I felt all the color leave my face. This was not good. Not only did my father see what happened between Liam and me, not only did I blatantly disregard what he told me about staying away from him, but I was also caught in a lie about where I was spending my afternoon. I looked towards the house and saw Emmett's huge figure standing in the window. He stepped back once I made eye contact to make it look like he wasn't spying. Great that probably meant the family knew the whole thing.

I let go of Alice's hand and made my way into the house, I knew that there was no way to get out of this so I might as well face it head on, like an adult. I suppose I had some explaining to do. The first thing I noticed was Jake sitting by himself in the living room. He looked my way when he saw me enter and I gave him a weak smile. He looked back with a look of pain and what looked almost like betrayal in his eyes but tried to smile back. He must know too, and feel hurt that I didn't tell him about it. That he had to find out this way. The rest of the family was waiting in the living room, all silent when I passed by. I didn't know what to say, so I kept walking.

Just then I heard my father's voice call from upstairs. His voice was calm, but stern. "Renesmee, I need to talk to you."

I closed my eyes for a second and then ascended the grand staircase. This had so far been the most confusing day of my life, and the fact that my family now knew the whole thing only made it worse. As I got to the top of the stairs I heard my mother and father's voice talking quietly in their room. I made my way to the door and entered quietly prepared for what was sure to be an interesting lecture.

**AN: I posted the links to Liam and Renesmee's cars on my profile, if anyone was interested. Review, Review Review! Thanks**


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